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Thursday, August 26, 2010
Movie Review: Christian Carion's Farewell, starring Emir Kusturica and Guillaume Canet (with trailer video)
Posted by Shannon Bennett on Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 1:21 PM
[Editor's Note: Farewell opens this Friday, Aug. 27, exclusively at the Tampa Theatre.]
So, it's easy to understand how everyman Pierre Froment was seduced into serving as a liason between the French DST (secret service) and a mysterious Russian man with ties to the Soviet government back in 1981. Farewell is based on a factual account of what Ronald Reagan called "one of the most important espionage cases of the 20th century." In the capable hands of director Christian Carion (Joyeux Noel), this film spans three languages, four countries, and a series of events that forever changed the course of history.
Froment (played by the delicious Guillaume Canet) first encounters Grigoriev (Emir Kusturica) hidden in the shadows in the backseat of the family car. Grigoriev is a seasoned government official displeased with the direction the USSR is taking under its new leadership who aims to debunk the current authority by passing intelligence over to the Allies. Rather than attempting to talk Froment into a partnership, Grigoriev simply leaves him with a meeting point and a package of highly sensitive documents to mull over, including the floorplan for the Pentagon, blueprints for NASA crafts and a variety of top-secret names.
Froment and Grigoriev are hardly James Bond types, but the tension grips the audience around the throat without the necessity for gunfire or explosions. Their families are soon entangled in the dangerous web as the Soviets close in on their prey. There's an overwhelming feeling that this story likely won't end well for our heroes.
Each meticulously developed character is effected by the events that follow the delivery of the X-List of every Soviet informant in the western world to the DST and the CIA. Perhaps most notable is Grigoriev's son, Igor (Evgenie Kharlanov), whose teenage rebellion against his father must come to an abrupt halt when they are both caught in the snare of the KGB. Kharlanov, in particular, delivers a heartbreaking and honest performance.
Farewell reveals the human side of espionage. We've always known that it's a dangerous business, but without the glitzy filter of Hollywood softening the edges, this true story offers insight into what people really put on the line for the sake of trading secrets.
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